Bishop, Bernice Pauahi, Princess, 1831-1884

Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, KGCOK RoK, was born Pauahi Pākī on December 19, 1831 in Honolulu, Hawai'i, to high chiefs Abner Pākī and Laura Kōnia Pākī. She was the great-granddaughter of Kamehameha I, the warrior chief who united the Hawaiian islands under his rule in 1810. As the last royal descendant of the Kamehameha line, Pauahi inherited thousands of acres of land. Her inheritance, about nine percent of the island chain’s total acreage, made Pauahi the largest landholder in the kingdom.

When Pauahi was born, the Native Hawaiian population numbered about 124,000. When she wrote her will in 1883, only 44,000 Hawaiians remained. Pauahi witnessed the rapid decline of the Hawaiian population. With that decline came a loss of Hawaiian language, culture and traditions. She believed education would offer her people hope and a future, so she left her estate to found Kamehameha Schools.

...